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 Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2019 8:05 am
Quote: Day Five:The shadows were worth avoiding before, but now it's almost impossible. Sometimes when you walk through a shadow, you feel your heart beat so loudly in your head that it's all you can think about. You may step into one shadow and step out of another completely across town. Or, at least, it feels like it. There is no way of going back or predicting which shadow you will wind up coming out of, but the news is reporting a wave of fatigue, confusion and stress as having odd effects on its citizens. No one has any recollection of the travel between one shadow and the next, and all passing of time seems warped. Travel is instantaneous regardless of the distance through Destiny City.
There was never any shortage of oddities in Destiny City and Lopezite shouldn’t have been surprised that this week was any different. He’d chalked it up to working too hard and not eating enough healthy foods, but realistically he knew it was just the lie he told himself so he didn’t have to worry about what was actually going on.
If he’d had the choice, he might not have even chosen to come out tonight, but having an energy quota and being keen to meet goals he had dragged himself into town to search for ‘volunteers’.
The Captain had first headed to a typical location of his, a park nearby that he knew well. The homeless were, unfortunately, easy targets and he knew that if he wanted an easy night he should head to the hot spots.
...he wanted an easy night. The shadows seemed to grow over everything; even the street lights seemed dim tonight, and the shadows twisted and churned recklessly, as if a thousand bugs were swarming the lights and casting shadows across the ground below. Only, when he looked up at the lights, there was never anything.
A chill ran down his spine, a cold outside of just the dropping temperatures. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he hastened, looking for anyone to drain to make tonight’s duties go faster.
There was a concrete bathroom ahead and he moved quickly, intending to round it and make sure no one was hiding from the elements beneath the overhang. Only, on step away, and his vision went black. It was brief, only a split second, but his blood ran cold and he felt like he was falling.
And then, as his foot planted on the ground, his vision was back. He froze immediately when he was greeted with a sudden energy signature that hadn’t been there before—and a face, less than half a foot from his own.
“Oh,” he said suddenly, sharply, taking a step back. He hit the wall behind him, startled but clearly not losing much composure. He turned, examined it briefly, and glanced back at the Negaverse Agent in front of him.
The concrete building was not behind him. He was not in his park.
He had not teleported, but he was not where he had been only a second ago.
“I apologize,” he said, getting manners out of the way first, and questions next. “I don’t suppose you’re responsible for this?”
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Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 12:54 pm
Did it seem like the more he began to understand, the more absurd things became? Maybe it had always been this way, and Nataniel had simply been too oblivious or too isolated or too stuck in his ways to see the world how it truly was. Now that he was Rakovanite, forced to abandon the comforts and certainties of his routine, there was more opportunity to see and engage in the oddities of Destiny City.
Yet somehow, Rakovanite doubted that the twisting, active shadows constituted 'normal,' even among chaos' standards.
He'd never been afraid of the night, and often preferred performing tasks in the quiet and solitude of the morning before dawn, but now Rakovanite had to wonder if this was truly the most opportune time to try and accomplish anything. The stretching and looming shadows of the past few days had been ignorable, something Rak could attribute to the time of year or placement of the moon or some other astrological phenomenon. That was why things looked different.
It did not explain why the shadows began to behave differently. He was no science expert, but he was pretty sure no amount of 'earth's rotation' or 'sun's alignment' or anything of that sort caused teleportation.
And he was growing vaguely more familiar with teleportation, of late, thanks to the Negaverse's generals.
One moment he was behind a bar (something had to be familiar, right?) in his hunt for drunk, easy, and sometimes oddly willing victims, when a single step forward brought him nearly nose to nose with- Another agent, as far as Rakovanite could tell. He blinked, tipped his head in confusion, and turned to glance over his shoulder as if maybe he'd overshot something as simple as walking. But the club was gone, to be replaced by some other alleyway in the city. Nowhere Rakovanite immediately recognized.
He turned back to the man in front of him, still looking puzzled. "How do you reason I would be capable of such a thing?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 6:39 pm
Lopezite seemed to take a few seconds more to better get an idea of where he was. He kept his feet planted firmly on the ground, unwilling to be taken by surprise again. Unwilling to wind up somewhere else in another half step.
"I don't," Lopezite answered; he hadn't been able to teleport when he was a lieutenant and even his captaincy had required a fair share of practice before he'd mastered the skill. It was less exhausting now but it still took a toll on him. "...But it warranted an inquiry, I think. I don't know how I've gotten here," he explained, suspicious.
He kept himself alert, glancing around for anyone else who might accidentally appear--or worse, someone who might be pulling the strings.
"...I didn't teleport," he explained, as if this were something they could talk out. Suspiciously, his eyes drifted back to the shadows as another wave of cold gripped him. "...I was hoping you'd have an explanation, though. It's far more preferable than the alternative."
Which was, of course, that there was no explanation.
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Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:17 am
Rakovanite couldn't... really even tell if this was strange or not. Fettelite's general could summon him from anywhere, so it almost didn't seem odd that anyone could be in one place one moment and wind up in another the next. It had never happened to him personally, though. And Rak was... fairly certain you had to know the person you were summoning, yet he'd never met this man before in his life. His head tipped inquisitively, gaze pinned blankly on the other agent in front of him.
This one certainly seemed confused. And his aura didn't feel as though he had the power to summon people, judging by Rakovanite's very limited knowledge of how various auras 'felt.' It was a bit of a strange concept all around.
"It is unusual, then?" Rakovanite questioned, head still canted to the side as he tried to comprehend the severity of what his concern should be. He didn't feel any different, didn't suspect he was injured, and as far as Rak could tell, neither was the other man. It was inconvenient, he supposed, to wind up here, and Rakovanite certainly did despise inconvenience, but otherwise... Did he need to bother being worried?
The explanation seemed no different than the one he used for a captain's ability to teleport: "It can only be magic," and so not as concerning, as if he'd still not known about that possibility. "Does it really surprise you?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 5:41 pm
"Always," Lopezite answered easily; it seemed like he was settling into himself now that the initial surprise had passed. "Magic is something I am still wrapping my head around. I would say, yes, this is quite unusual. I've never experienced anything like this before, nor have I heard of anyone who has."
Not quite like this, at least. He knew about teleporting, about being summoned and summoning. Only, there was no one here waiting for him.
"Being plucked from where I was and arriving here with no explanation is very much unusual. But then, I suppose all magic is."
He glanced around once more and then, when it seemed like he finally accepted that there wasn't anyone here to explain it, he just shrugged and glanced at the shadows behind him.
"...I've noticed quite a few things around town a bit more off than usual."
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Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2019 7:37 am
Perhaps since the whole concept was new to Rakovanite, freshly powered as he was, everything seemed as equally strange or equally feasible as anything else. It didn't feel as though it should be a huge leap to jump from 'people in our faction can teleport' and 'you can walk through shadows.' And in fact, it seemed as though there was maybe nothing completely impossible, at all, so much as just things they hadn't discovered how to accomplish, yet...
He tipped his head quizzically at the other man, aware of the previous comment that he 'hadn't teleported.' "How long have you been with the Negaverse, then?" Long enough to achieve a higher rank, certainly.
And yet, still uncertain about the exact parameters magic functioned in.
"I have only bee involved for about a month, so nearly everything is... foreign," Rakovanite admitted slowly, gaze flicking back toward the shadows he'd stepped out of. "They brought us to the same place, though. That would be a peculiar coincidence."
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2019 5:05 am
"I've been with them for a while, now," Lopezite confessed, scratching his chin thoughtfully. A part of him didn't like to do the math; even though he'd been around for some time, he'd only reached the rank of Captain. Part of it was because of an absent General with low expectations, part of it was him serving his own goals. He did what was asked of him but he never felt the need to excel. Too much attention of any kind was bad; he preferred to lay low.
It gave him the freedom to tend to his own affairs without interruption, at the very least.
"I have learned not to trust coincidence." He looked to the shadows again and reached a hand to them, testing if there was still any magical connection tied to them. When his hand met firm resistance, he trailed his fingers across the surface.
"...This should be reported to the Negaverse, they may know something about it. If you can, tell your Captain, or General, when you see them next. I'll report to mine. It's strange," he added a few seconds later. "...I feel awful. Slimy. Like something is sticking to me. I'm not an anxious person, so it can't be that."
He took a step back from the shadows; the feeling ebbed somewhat.
"...I've never really trusted magic. But it fascinates me, all the same. This can't be some Senshi magic, theirs isn't strong enough to do this." At least, none of the magic he'd ever seen. "...But that only means that it might be something worth considering even more of a threat."
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2019 11:45 am
"I see..." Rakovanite murmured, tone taking on just the barest hint of disappointment as his gaze trailed away. If this man- what had he said his name was?- had been with the Negaverse for a while and still wasn't familiar with all of the... oddities surrounding their city, perhaps it was unlikely that everything regarding this war would eventually be 'normal,' that it could become familiar. It wasn't exactly the information Rakovanite had hoped for, but perhaps that was just to be expected when 'magic' was involved.
But he supposed the benefit of having the network of people within the Negaverse meant that even though Rakovanite and his new friend may not know what was going on, the likelihood that someone else might was at least there. He nodded in quiet assent at the other's suggestion.
"I am still familiar with so little," Rakovanite hummed quietly, watching as the other's fingers slid over where the shadows lingered. "But I suppose I find it difficult to be... surprised by this, considering that everything else is just as new. Though I have seen only a limited amount of senshi magic." And never anything from the forces of the White Moon. ...He supposed he had no grounds with which to judge what the relative power any of them might be capable of or otherwise.
"Are there other things to be wary of, then?" He queried, head canting ever-so-slightly to the side. "No one has spoken of much 'threat' beyond just what the Order poses."
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Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2020 7:50 am
Lopezite seemed to be considering possibilities; he nodded almost absentmindedly. "I think so. I have seen things I do not quite understand yet which do not have connections to any Order threat. Some may know, I suppose," he had to admit. "...But I can't imagine what it would gain to keep silent about such things. So far as I can tell, there is just more in this world that most can see. Or, that most care to."
He had to shake his head to dispel the thoughts. "It is worth keeping an open mind on, at least. We are taught to believe a singular set of acts, taught to believe the world can be explained by simple sciences. But it's not so simple. The narrative can change depending on who is telling what tale, I suppose. So the best way to the truth is to find it yourself."
It was simple enough in concept: find your own answers. Take all the information you could get, compile and learn. Find the flaws, the deceptions, the cover ups.
He planted his hands on his hips and sighed loudly. "I think, no matter how long you are here for, there is always something new to find. So things are always changing. It isn't bad. At the very least, it keeps things interesting. But it means you have to constantly improve yourself to stay on top of things."
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Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 5:48 am
"Mm." It was as expected, then: even officers more familiar with the Negaverse and Order than Rakovanite was himself were still unlikely to understand everything that these odd powers brought. It was... not terribly unlike a world without magic (or a world initially perceived to be without magic, anyway). No one could know it all. There were always new things to discover and plenty benefit to knowing more. "I suppose that is how it always was, how it always will be," Rakovanite answered in a murmur.
The learning curve just felt exponential right now. Since he was so new to this, there was a lot he could grasp in a short time, as opposed to once he'd gotten then hang of it a bit more, it hopefully would feel like not as much was so... foreign.
He shook his head dismissively. "Your wisdom is appreciated," Rakovanite replied with a small inclination of his head.
Despite the odd circumstances surrounding their meeting, it was much easier to adapt when faced with someone... not as hyper as many of the people he'd been meeting recently. But- they'd hardly even met, had they? Rakovanite tipped his head inquisitively. "My apologies, but I never got your name. I am Rakovanite."
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2020 8:05 pm
The Captain blinked and looked apologetic. A gesture of etiquette, he extended his hand in greeting. "I apologize, normally I'm a little better with that. I'm Lopezite, it's a pleasure to meet you. Rakovanite," he repeated, testing the name and committing it to memory. It took him only once before he was satisfied that the knowledge was cemented to his mind.
Still, in those few seconds, he seemed acutely aware of the passing of time. A sigh fell from his lips and he found his gaze drifting to the clouds moving in the sky. His eyes settled upon them for a few seconds before returning to Rakovanite's face.
"I suppose I should try to get back to what I was tending to. But this was a welcome detour." Even if he didn't quite understand it. "If you're ever in need of company, I'm more available than not. And I'd appreciate spending more time with those in the Negaverse. Especially if it things are going to keep acting up as they are."
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 4:30 am
Rakovanite tipped his head at the offered hand. It wasn't a foreign gesture by any means, but it somehow felt... awkward, in the moment, as if there were too many strange things occurring around them that there could be something so normal before him now. His fingers curled against themselves as he watched the preferred hand in silent judgement before, after what was probably a few seconds too long, he reached to clasp Lopezite's hand. "Nice to meet you," he agreed in a low drawl.
He pulled his hand back briskly, folding his arms across his chest as if determined to make no further contact by impeding how easy it would be.
"I will not try and keep you," Rakovanite said flatly, though he did imagine Lopezite would have a much simpler time of returning to his work than he would, himself. Rakovanite had been dragged out here with no means of returning. The captain at least had the ability of teleportation on his side.
But the city shouldn't be too difficult to navigate in this form, as long as he didn't run into any opposition. "Thank you for the offer," he replied with a dip of his head. "As everything is still quite foreign to me, I hope you will allow me to call on you if anything should come up," he stated disaffectedly.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:00 pm
For a moment, Lopezite had been concerned that Rakovanite might have declined the offer or had some reason for not wanting to shake, but when the ritual was completed, he retracted his hand and offered another smile. He could tell by the position that further contact was unwanted and he made no effort to initiate any further. "Please do," he insisted.
"You can use your tablet to send me any messages if you need to, I check it regularly. Otherwise, take care of yourself. I'm going to head back and investigate the area I was in before I showed up here. I don't know if there will be any clues or signs for why we wound up here, or how, but..."
He was hopeful nonetheless.
"I trust you'll be all right on your own?" he prompted, but there was the unspoken offer of company or assistance clinging to his every word. He seemed only to be waiting for confirmation that Rakovanite did not have anything he wanted or needed of him before they parted.
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:30 pm
Rakovanite's gaze scraped appraisingly down the other man, judging the usefulness of keeping contact. He had said he would, but it was meant more as a gesture of polite deference than of an actual interest in reaching out to the other man. He could say whatever pleased him and not feel compelled to follow through. Particularly when it felt like he didn't need another point of contact, when he already had Fettelite and Wolframite to tend to any concerns or questions he may have.
But it took him only a second to consider that Fettelite was disinterested and easily incapacitated by Negaverse matters, and Wolframite had all the cognitive capacity of his namesake. Even if Rakovanite didn't know Lopezite well, the bar for being of more use than his two current captains wasn't especially high.
He slid the pen that concealed his tablet from its location clipped beneath his jacket collar. In terms of messaging, the device probably wasn't truly any more complicated than a cell phone, but there was no harm in ensuring he could use it. "Would it inconvenience you to show me the tablet's functions? I assume it must have whatever contact information it needs already logged for every agent in the system..."
But it was clear that Lopezite was ready to be on his way. "If it is too troublesome, I am positive I can figure it out alone."
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 2:28 pm
"No inconvenience at all," Lopezite said simply, "It's not a very difficult system," he confirmed, "But the downside is that there's am immense amount of information and it can get overwhelming. It's one of those things that certainly gets easier with time. Here," he leaned closer, mindful to give him adequate personal space while still allowing him to be close enough to be useful.
He gave a few directions but never reached in to do it himself; he simply guided the other agent towards the necessary buttons. It took four clicks to get him to the contact page, and Lopezite eyed the search bar. "If you know who you're looking for you can type in their name and go from there. It's a short profile, general information. Rank, branch," he shrugged. "If you want to message someone, there's a button there, just a little envelope by their name. It sends it to their account. You can send multiple messages--useful if you're in a group or planning a rendezvous. But I mean it," his eyes left the screen and returned to Rakovanite's face. "If you need anything, let me know. I'm in this for the long run, I'll be around."
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